Until Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, Ohio Gov. John Kasich and Republican politicians in a dozen other states set out to eliminate collective bargaining rights for public employees, the public didn’t hear much about that bedrock of unionism. Now there is a growing movement to defend this fundamental right, and Collective Bargaining: Real People. Real Impact helps spread the message.
Collective bargaining enables working people who are union members to negotiate with their employers to determine their terms of employment, including pay, benefits, hours, leave, health and safety policies, ways to balance work and family and more. Bottom line: It gives working people a voice at the table.
On the website, working men and women tell what collective bargaining means to them in another series of videos. AFGE member Michael Gravinese says collective bargaining is important because:
It provides a vehicle in the workplace for fairness and equity for all. What I’ve gained from collective bargaining is the ability to have a voice in the workplace, a structured voice. Without that, a collective bargaining agreement, in essence management dictates.
There’s an old saying that says a rising tide lifts all boats and that’s what happens when you have a collective bargaining agreement. All workers, members, nonmembers, they benefit from that collective bargaining agreement, it lifts all of them.
Virgilio Aran and Linda Oalican talk about how collective action can improve the lives of domestic workers and Racine, Wis., firefighter Mike DeGarmo discusses the fight against Walker’s assault on collective bargaining.
The attack on workers and collective bargaining has been so outlandish this year, sometimes it’s hard to figure out if what you are hearing is real or not. Find out with our “Real or Not” quiz.
Click here to explore the new site at CollectiveBargainingFacts.com and be sure to share it with your friends on Facebook and Twitter.
